It was nice, not bad, there was a bit of adventure and mystery, I liked it enough, but it’s not a favourite. In this book the police doesn’t do much, nor the villain, in fact. It’s mostly just watching things unfolding, and guessing on our part. In this book JG Reeder is quite plain, honestly. He appears to know some things like Sherlock Holmes does, which means that he just knows.
A bit of plot :)
(I write the names as I remember them, I hope they’re right but I wouldn’t swear on it)
Margaret Belman, I think she was Reeder’s secretary, or something. She’s about to take another job and is very annoyed that he appears happy about it. In fact, he’s relieved, because a very dangerous criminal has just escaped from the Broadmoor asylum. john Flack is very intelligent, rather crazy, and with unknown allies that helped him escape.
J.G. Reeder is a target, and indeed Flack leaves some trap to kill him, but Reeder finds it.
Margaret works at a hotel, a peculiar one. The owner Daver only accepts who he wants, and now he only has three guests.
Among the many accomplices Flack has had in his career, George Ravini is the only one that ever betrayed him, and now that Flack is free, Ravini is soon a dead man.
Flack and his men kill without giving it much thought, they’re thieves and Flack especially likes gold.
After Ravini’s death, they learn that he wanted to pursue his infatuation with Margaret, whom he met at the train station. Ravini took a room at Daver’s hotel, and from there he disappeared a few days later.
After learning this, Reeder immediately moves and goes to stay at this hotel, to continue the investigation, yes, but also to be sure that Margaret is safe.
What he finds out: the two men guests are Flack accomplices. The sad woman working there is Flack’s wife, though there’s no love there anymore. The third guest, the young woman, is Flack’s daughter Olga, and she’s married to Daver, who once worked for Flack. No love there as well, not sure realy why he insisted on marrying her.
Daver will die when Flack learns of the marriage.
Reeder wants to send Margaret away, to safety, but she’ll never reach Scotland Yard in London. She was taken away in another car. Flack wanted to use her against Reeder. Windows and doors could not be opened, but she managed to pull apart a bit of the capote and she jumped out. From there, it was a big adventure for her, a great escape really.
When Reeder learns she’s not safely in London, he almost loses his mind, becomes frenetic, active, aggressive, because he’s in love with her.
In the end, Reeder will find her quite by chance and good luck, there was a secrer passage inside the big safe in the hotel connecting it to the caves. I’m not sure if Flack is captured or dead; Olga is saved and rather relieved ot be free of them all.
Reeder is supposed to be this cool detective, oh so smart and ingenius, but tell me what’s smart about telling the men at the hotel that he knows who they are, and then leaving the matter be for the moment. Of course they run away!
The book ends with Reeder’s awkward attempt to declare his feelings and propose, but it’s just a long series of “uhm” and Margaret has to help him doing most of the talking. he’s 47 or something, and he’s never been kissed. Now they do kiss and he quite likes it! :-p
I don’t really like how it goes - reading it now, in 2025 - but in 1927 it was different, hell when I was little it was diffferent, it was like another world, and these things maybe were funny, like: you want to marry me but since you’re older you’’re afraid you’ll ruin my young life? Well, then ruin it! And kiss kiss…
ITA il castello del terrore
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